28 May 2011

Flex by Filofax - Readers Questions.

Firstly, thank you for all the feedback and questions on the reviews. This final part I hope will answer all of the outstanding questions.

We won't be ignoring the Flex range, but at the risk of Philofaxy becoming Philoflexy... I would like to get back to the normal Filofax style of posts.  I'm sure though there will be times when we might suggest the Flex as a solution to some ones needs rather than a Filofax. Having the Flex will give us a broader range of topics to talk about and discuss I'm sure in the future.

So your questions in no particular order.....

RQ1. Which colour flex will go with my Crimson Malden? 

Yes I know there are quite  a few out there now, so this should apply to quite a few folks!

Magenta Flex Pocket, Crimson Malden Personal, Grey Flex A5

Crimson Malden Personal, Grey Flex A5

Magenta Flex Pocket, Crimson Malden Personal

Don't forget the Flex is also available in Black and also available in Personal/Slimline size too. 

RQ2. What is the monthly calendar we briefly saw in the video? 

There are Monthly calendars for 2012 and 2013. Here are the first 6 months of the 2012 calendar spread across 2 pages of the A5 Flex. 


RQ3. What do the diary pages look like?
As you can see it's very very similar to the Week on Two Page Filofax Format that you can buy in Cotton Cream.

And this is the Year Planner


And the Contacts insert.


RQ4, Do the covers of the inserts match the colours of the Flex Binders?

Sadly no in the current 'First Edition' range the are all grey. And I've seen a picture of the display in Neal Street and they were all grey too.  I suspect they want to keep the cost down.

RQ5. What is the thickness of the A5 Flex with the thin notebook and diary? 

22 mm, but I suppose if you put other cards etc in to the other pockets then may be a little more.  It weighs 515 grams.  My Malden A5 is more than 35 mm thick. But does have considerably more pages in it now. The Maldens weigh between 820 and 1020 grams 

The Flex with the thick note book and diary weighs in at 775 grams which as I thought is about the same as an A5 Malden with just the standard fill in it.  I'm surprised myself that I was able to tell how close they are in weight...

RQ6. When will it be on sale?

Now.... Neal Street and Conduit Street have stock on display.  It will be on-line soon as well. In the USA the release date is set on 15 June 2011. As soon as it is available on line you will be sure that Philofaxy will tell you!



RQ7. How well protected are the pages in the inserts, it looked a little 'floppy' in the video.

I will admit I was rushing things a bit doing the video, but if you take a bit more time and care the inserts are quite tightly held in the Flex binder.

With the inserts in the inner pockets, the page edge is about 5 mm from the edge of the Flex binder. With the inserts in the outer pockets then the bound edge of the insert is more or less flush with the outer edge of the Flex binder.

True it doesn't have any form of closure on the binder, or this First Edition of the binder doesn't have one. But I also use a Slimline Filofax, which is similar, there isn't a closure on that and I've never had any problems with pages getting creased or damaged. I suppose it will depend on what else you carry in your bag that is loose.

RQ8. Can I make my own inserts?

Making your own inserts for the Flex would be very easy to do, especially the A5. Booklet print the pages fold them in half, staple on a thin card cover of your own design and bingo insert it and you are up and running... Simples!  

RQ9. Is there a Today marker or ribbon on the diary? 

One wasn't supplied with the ones I received and the price list contained in the first part of the review doesn't mention this accessory. 

RQ10. If I'm buying the Flex what measure of 'Philo' do I use?

An important issue this. You don't want your 'Philofaxy' count going too high now do you... As the page sizes are the same as a loose leaf Filofax it seems fair to count them in the same way, this applies to everyone.


RQ11. Can the Flex hold 3 notebooks? 

I have tried this with a plain notebook and ruled notebook along with the diary and here are the results.


So on the right hand side is the diary, on the left is the plain and ruled notebooks. 


If we fully open the ruled notebook which is in the left inner pocket it folds out over the diary and the reveals the plain note book which is in the left outer pocket. 


Opening that up gives you this sort of set up. 


You can then close the ruled notebook, which would let you open the diary whilst still being able to see the plain notebook. 


And finally the whole set up closed, yes it sort of works but may be not ideal.

If you have further questions ask them here or in any Free For All Tuesday.

Thank you.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Steve, I haven't read all the posts about Flex, so apologies if you have already covered this.

    Would the Flex cover take any other standard sized notebooks? As we all know, Filofax Personal size is NOT the same as A6, its nearest standard equivalent. But I'm wondering if the Flex system has enough wiggle room to take an A6 notebook.

    Alternatively, there is another notebook size available in France - I mean the carnet size, which Clairefontaine do and some other manufacturers too - I have bought some super-cheap ones in Casino in the past. This is quite close to the Personal paper size - similar height but a little wider - I have used pages from my carnet in my filofax, punched and with a minor trim to fit - I just fold and tear, no scissors required! - so I know the sizing is very close. Just wondering if the whole notebook would fit inside the Flex cover.

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  2. Hi Juliet
    Take a read of part 2 of the review

    http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2011/05/flex-by-filofax-review-part-2.html

    I detail the size of the pockets in that one.

    I'm sure other refills/notebooks will fit. And quite easy to check in a supermarket or store as well!

    Our local supermarket have quite a range of note books. I've already tried their shopping list pad and that is the same size, but more pages and considerably cheaper than the Filofax one!

    Steve

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  3. Thanks, Steve.

    I didn't realise you hadn't been sent a Personal size - oops! - but, judging from your comments on the Pocket and the A5, it looks quite promising.

    I'm thinking that it might make sense to get a Flex as an 'extra' for my filofax - sometimes it does make sense to use a notebook - but I would definitely want to be able to tear out the pages and file them if I wanted to.

    Next time I'm in London, I might go into Conduit Street, armed with a couple of carnets and see if they'll fit!

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  4. Hmmn. I like the possibility of having multiple calendar formats out in front of me as I plan lessons. I plan daily lessons while considering the week, month, and semester as a whole (of course). Traditional lesson books show two weeks on two pages. Still a lot of flipping back and forth.

    Thank you for the thorough information. Your pictures make me want a magenta Flex AND an A5 Malden. *sigh*

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  5. Do you know if you can order over the phone, i may need to order over the phone, i cannot wait im far tooo excited!!!! :-) thanks for the picture i asked for

    and the display looked magical, even tho its all grey (but pink and grey are my fave colours)

    Thank you again :-) YAY

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  6. Just seen that some are available on eBay.
    http://shop.ebay.co.uk/lbm-stationery/m.html?_nkw=flex&_sacat=0&_odkw=&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3911.c0.m270.l1313

    Not sure how the price compares?

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  7. Yes Neal Street take orders over the phone.

    Steve

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  8. Fahrneys Pens in Washington DC will have the Flex product in their store on June 10.

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  9. I have finally found a system that meets my planning needs in the form of the Filofax Flex.
    Having tried just about every type of planner including digital and paper planners, i have tried, outlook A5 and pocket Filofax, moleskine, rhodia and quo vardis planners. None met my needs. I needed a planner that I could take anywhere where with me, as my job relies on my taking calls and scheduling appointments on the hoof. While my iPhone has many great calendar apps, it is difficult to access them whilst using the phone as a phone. At last the Flex is small enough to be taken anywhere, has a week to view calendar, year planner, notebook and a jot pad that is great for rough drafting or quick disposable notes. All this and it fits in my pocket. It's great. Happy new year to one and all. Thanks, Danny

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